During a recent interview with St. Lucia Times, Gospel Singer Emrand Henry who is celebrating 20 years in the business this year, spoke of the challenges he faced doing Reggae and Soca Gospel music in the beginning. His first recording was a Reggae Gospel, “What is going on?”
Henry also reflected on his 2011 song the up-tempo “Doctor (the country is sick) which highlighted many of the social ills and crime in Saint Lucia, that still hold true today. Given that some of the same issues still exists, we sought comment from him.
“We need to understand that just as the Bible says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world…we basically are into spiritual warfare and it is sad that a lot of the young people are caught in the crossfire of spiritual warfare and that as it was in the beginning the aim of the enemy is to destroy and bring destruction to families,” Henry said.
“If you are asking me how to curb or try to bring the crime rate down we need to understand spiritual warfare, we need to understand that we need to have a personal relationship with God, to love Him first, love ourselves and then we can love each other and love and forgive people. We have to start there,” Henry says.
He also believes that the church is not doing enough outreach and concerts and inviting artistes like himself and others to reach young people and have a positive impact on their lives.
Ironically, he said events like “Kingdom Night,” were denounced by some churches and denominations. “The event was a good thing and it was an opportunity to touch lives and win souls. I am so happy that I was there to represent the Pentecostal side of it and to release loud praises,” he said.
In contrast, he said he felt there was a lack of Gospel presence during the homecoming concert for Julien Alfred in September.
“When Julien won, we all were just happy and joyful just to see how God could raise a strong and powerful woman like this. So I was hoping that the Gospel artistes back home would be represented on the celebration stage, but they were not,” Henry said.
“We really need to give our Saint Lucian Gospel artistes the support and encouragement they deserve and provide them more platforms and opportunities to perform,” he added.
For Emrand Henry 2024 will end with a few more “live” performances as he gets ready to head back into the studio to release new music in 2025.
In the meantime, he continues to magnify the Lord and is grateful for the gift of music and the many fans and supporters who have placed him at the top of their playlist over the years.
Article does not address Millet and Fond St Jacques background. Why in title?
Good vibes. Message is to put God first in our lives, then to love ourselves before we can love others. One cannot save a drunken one before saving oneself first. What we see today is the devil (dollar, material things, lust, drugs/alcohol, envy and hatred) first and some even put others before self.
Young man, I commend your success. Yet it is illogical to think that the answers to our societal issue is god. If that is the case that god is the answer to all our problems, then why is it, Saint Lucia being perhaps one of the most religious islands in the Caribbean ( I say so because, they even pray before official government business, pray in schools as examples ), how is it that being so religious as an island, we face some of the most social ills on many metrics such as poorer healthcare, poorer educational attainments, violent and non violent crime, domestic violence and abuse etc etc. If Saint Lucia is so religious as the evidence shows then why are there so many negative metrices in many areas in society? Barbados by extension is perhaps slightly less religious and more populus than Saint Lucia but yet have better metrical outcomes in society. They have better educational attainments, less crime, etc etc….perhaps Saint Kitts, which is smaller than Saint Lucia in population and size have less of those issues we face as a country…certainly, they have less crime . So it obviously isn’t religion or god that is the answer to society’s problems. Some of the most religious states in the world have the most deplorable human social index and metrices. Here are a few questions: Do you need religion to be a good citizen? Do you need religion to have a moral compass? Do you need religion to have a good education? Do you need religion to tell you what is right or wrong? Do you need religion to have family values? If you answered NO to these questions than that makes it obvious religion is not the solution but if you answered YES, then it simply shows that with a brain of your own to think for yourself, you need an ancient book, written by iron age desert dwellers, goat and sheep herders, who claimed to be inspired by a god or some spirit ( that spirit might well have been some kind of alcohol spirit….who knows…), a book filled with all manner of atrocities and human calamities dictated and sanctioned by the god himself …and you wonder why our society is the way it is despite being very religious? The answer definitely isn’t god or religion. You can hold all the gospel concerts you want, have all the crusades you want till they spill from your guts, pray till cows learn to fly, call on the sky god till the universe vanish into none existent and it will be as useless and futile an attempt. The solution to Saint Lucia’s problem is economics, education and returning to family values. Not religion. Economics and education can put food on the table and give people a chance to build successful families who are well taken care for. Get a proper education for the next generation of children to pass on a legacy of academic achievement to the next generation into the future, put a roof over their heads, pay medical and surgical bills when sick, give them disposable income to enjoy the finer things in life. But religion doesn’t and can’t do any of that. Yes there are families who are religious and are successful economically and academically. But they did not just sit there praying and doing religion….they were smart and got educated. If you carried out an experiment with two families, one did only religion and the other did only education, you would quickly see who was the most happier of the two families. You can pray all you want. It will be a futile attempt simple as that.. There is more to say but that would entail too long a post.
Now I await the usual attacks and pointless comments on my contribution from those who don’t have much to say or contribute to the debate in a meaningful and intelligent way.
To Mr. Emrand Henry: welcome to the world of love, blessings, forgiveness, peace, joy & glory. I wish very much that St. Lucia would pay more attention to the words that you speak. It is rather seldom that one with your background should come to openly reveal the deep truths openly to all, and it was the revelation given to St. Paul, revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Sir be strengthened in the spirit and body go with the grace of the Almighty, sing the praises and speak the words of the Lord – speak it loudly. Tonight I pray for your well being in a place like St. Lucia and we all need that prayer to defeat the rulers of this darkness; and because of the ‘End times we’re entering into now’ the powers of darkness go about like hungry Lions to see who they can devour, and they do find fertile ground everyday. Keep up the good work brother, may the good Lord bless and keep you.
Since the rise of Julien Alfred, I’ve since an increased desperation by others to revamp their images because we live for the dam spotlight in this country. Your time has passed, move on …
There is no such thing as reggae and soca gospel music as these genres indicate a combination of the holy with the profane. Additionally, God is not involved in any competitive sporting events let alone one in which women are attired in scanty, form-fitting clothing. People have clearly lost sight of or are merely ignorant of the fact that God is holy and righteous and His standards are diametrically opposed to worldliness in all its forms.